There's a lot of debate around the best temperature to wash your bedding, but as a general rule of thumb, we'd always recommend adhering to the care labels and following the instructions. Most fabrics can be washed at a warm temperature of 40° as this helps to remove dirt, natural body oils and takes care of germs.
A good temperature for washing towels and sheets is 40 degrees, but a 60 degree wash will be better at killing germs. Changing your sheets and towels once a week can help to keep them fresh and clean**.
It is recommended that you wash your bedsheets in a hot wash, at least 60 degrees. The hotter that you wash your sheets, the more germs are removed meaning that your bedding will be properly clean and free of germs.
When washing bedding you want to wash at 60 degrees on a long wash ie 2 hours plus to make sure that any sweat, dander, dust or other nasties are killed and then removed. Wash all bedding on a full cycle 60-degree wash. Colder temperatures may not kill all the bacteria or remove sweat as effectively.
30°C washes softer fabrics better than 40°C, which is why 40° is better for your everyday clothing, and fabrics that are harder e.g. wool. This is the temperature that most consumer testing boards use to measure the performance of the machine. materials at 40°C and the results will be just as good.
40°C is a popular temperature setting that can be used for most everyday items, when you need to remove tougher stains, and when you're washing heavily-soiled garments.
Warm washing (40 degrees)
The benefit of warm washing is that it requires shorter wash cycles than a hot wash, as little to no heating is required. There is also no need to maintain or service an engineering solution such as an ozone unit.
Machine washing at 40 degrees Celsius is likely to shrink natural fibres such as cotton, wool and silk, unless they have been pre-shrunk. Once cotton clothes have been shrunk the first time, they will not shrink much in subsequent washes.
In order to get rid of bed bugs by washing your linens:
Use your normal detergent as needed. Wash the bedding at a high temperature (at least 140°F) for 90 minutes or more. Quickly transfer washed clothes to the dryer and dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes.
' and 'Do I need to wash my clothes on the highest temperature setting? ' Experts at Dr Beckmann advise regular washing of clothes at 60 degrees to help eliminate the spread of bacteria & viruses.
Use the hottest water setting on your washing machine that's safe for the material. Polyester blends are best washed using warm water, while cotton can tolerate hot water. Hotter water kills the most germs and takes care of dust mites that thrive in bedding. Wash at least once every other week.
Overall, we've found that washing on a lower temperature does conserve energy and will save you money, but if you have fabrics which need a little extra stain-removal power then you might see a better result washing at 40 degrees.
Washing at 60°C will not shrink every type of clothing, but may shrink items made of natural fibres such as cotton and wool.
To avoid unpleasant results in the washing machine, linen requires a maximum temperature of 60°C (for whites) and no more than 40°C for coloured items. In both cases, it is preferable to use a mild soap or a liquid detergent for delicate items, with a non-intensive washing program.
40 degrees Celsius isn't considered a cold wash or a hot wash. It is actually straight down the middle – a warm wash. And it's ideal for a lot of your laundry. As with anything, there are pros and cons to washing your clothes, towels, or bedding at 40 degrees.
The wash cycle has to be long enough, hot enough, and the detergent has to come in contact with the bugs and their eggs. Research from the Wang laboratory at Rutgers University showed some interesting results. For example, washing clothes at 60 degrees C for 30 minutes terminates all bed bugs and eggs.
Technically, bed bugs can live through a cycle in the washing machine. The truth is that while washing your clothes or linens will kill most of the bed bugs, the heat of drying your items is what will ultimately exterminate any and all remaining bugs. As we mentioned above, bed bugs do not tolerate heat.
Washing clothes and bedding is a simple and cheap method of killing all bed bugs. It is a very important part of both do-it-yourself bed bug control, and when you have professional pest control company apply insecticides.
A label that says 30 means a water temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit, 40 means 104 degrees Fahrenheit, 60 means 140 degrees Fahrenheit and 95 means 203 degrees Fahrenheit.
The most important thing to pay attention to when washing cotton is that it does not shrink. Especially at higher temperatures you have the risk that this will happen. We therefore advise to wash cotton fabrics the first time at a lower temperature (maximum 40 degrees) and not to put them directly in the dryer.
I wash absolutely everything (other than delicates or wool) that says 30, at 40. I think 30 is for environmental reasons. For me it doesn't seem clean to wash at less than hand temperature. I've never had a problem, and I'm quite obsessive about keeping clothes in pristine condition.
Very high fever (40 degrees Celsius or higher)
With a very high fever, you will usually want to stay in bed or be inactive – you won't feel well enough to carry out normal activities. You'll feel hot to touch and you may have lost your appetite.
Is 40 Degrees Hot or Cold for Laundry? The number 40 corresponds to 40°C, or 104°F. This is a warm wash setting that is often used for a colored wash. The number on the wash symbol indicates the maximum temperature the item should be washed at.
Although lower temperature washing is favoured for environmental reasons, for bedding it's best to stick to 60C, this will help kill dust mites and bacteria.
The right temperature
Always wash your duvet and pillow at 60 degrees to get them properly clean. 60 degrees is also the temperature that kills house dust mites.